Numbers 24:9
in Numbers 24He crouches, he lies down like a lion; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? Blessed are those who bless you and cursed are those who curse you.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He couched, he lay down as a lion, And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Blessed be every one that blesseth thee, And cursed be every one that curseth thee.
KJV
He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.
⋯
This verse in Numbers 24
Commentary
4 notes on this verseHe couched, he lay down as a lion, etc. - See the original terms explained Num 23:24 (note). These oracles, delivered by Balaam, are evident prophecies of the victories which the Israelites should gain over their enemies, and of their firm possession of the promised land. They may also refer to the great victories to be obtained by the Lord Jesus Christ, that Lion of the tribe of Judah, over sin, death, and Satan, the grand enemies of the human race; and to that most numerous posterity of spiritual children which should be begotten by the preaching of the Gospel.
This site's exposition
he hath as it were the strength
on Numbers 24:8-9
Verse 8 repeats the opening of the third oracle at 23:22 with one change, that God brought them out becomes God brought him forth, so the nation is spoken of as a single man. The unicorn of the King James is the reem, a wild ox, and Job 39:9-10 uses it of an animal no man puts in a furrow. Couched as a lion is the word Jacob spoke over Judah at Genesis 49:9, and it arrives here from a seer fetched out of Aram, as 23:7 says. Verse 9 then closes with the promise given to Abram at Genesis 12:3 and to Jacob at Genesis 27:29, which turns the errand inside out, since Balak paid for a curse and the man he paid pronounces a curse on whoever curses.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
It is observed of lions (as the learned bishop Patrick takes notice here) that they do not retire into places of shelter to sleep, but lie down any where, knowing that none dares meddle with them: thus secure were Israel in Canaan, chiefly in the days of David and Solomon; and thus is the righteous bold as a lion ( Prov. xxviii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
He couched,....
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כָּרַ֨ע | kara' | it crouched | H3766 → | |
| שָׁכַ֧ב | shakhav | it lay down | H7901 → | 212 times |
| כַּאֲרִ֛י | kaari | like a lion | H738 → | |
| וּכְלָבִ֖יא | ukhelavi' | and like a lion | H3833 → | |
| מִ֣י | mi | who? | H4310 → | 423 times |
| יְקִימֶ֑נּוּ | yekimenu | will he rouse it | H6965 → | 628 times |
| מְבָרֲכֶ֣יךָ | mevarakheikha | [those who] bless you | H1288 → | 330 times |
| בָר֔וּךְ | varukh | [be] blessed | H1288 → | 330 times |
| וְאֹרְרֶ֖יךָ | veorereikha | and [those who] curse you | H779 → | 63 times |
| אָרֽוּר׃ | ʾarur | [be] cursed | H779 → | 63 times |
כָּרַ֨עit crouched
kara'H3766 →
שָׁכַ֧בit lay down
shakhavH7901 →212 times
כַּאֲרִ֛יlike a lion
kaariH738 →
וּכְלָבִ֖יאand like a lion
ukhelavi'H3833 →
מִ֣יwho?
miH4310 →423 times
יְקִימֶ֑נּוּwill he rouse it
yekimenuH6965 →628 times
מְבָרֲכֶ֣יךָ[those who] bless you
mevarakheikhaH1288 →330 times
בָר֔וּךְ[be] blessed
varukhH1288 →330 times
וְאֹרְרֶ֖יךָand [those who] curse you
veorereikhaH779 →63 times
אָרֽוּר׃[be] cursed
ʾarurH779 →63 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 12:3I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”
it leads to
- Galatians 3:8
The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”
- Genesis 22:18
And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
- Acts 3:25–26
And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’
- Genesis 27:29
May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you…
- Genesis 26:4
I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed,
- Galatians 3:8
Through
Matthew 25:45Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’
it leads to
- Proverbs 21:13
Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too shall cry out and receive no answer.
- Proverbs 17:5
He who mocks the poor insults their Maker; whoever gloats over calamity will not go unpunished.
- Proverbs 21:13
Through
Genesis 27:29May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you…
it leads to
- Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”
- Genesis 12:3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Numbers
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.